Against anonymity.

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  • Author(s): Baker R
  • Source:
    Bioethics [Bioethics] 2014 May; Vol. 28 (4), pp. 166-9.
  • Publication Type:
    Journal Article; Comment
  • Language:
    English
  • Additional Information
    • Source:
      Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 8704792 Publication Model: Print Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1467-8519 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 02699702 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Bioethics Subsets: MEDLINE
    • Publication Information:
      Publication: Oxford : Wiley-Blackwell
      Original Publication: Oxford ; New York : Basil Blackwell, c1987-
    • Subject Terms:
      Authorship* ; Dissent and Disputes* ; Freedom* ; Mass Media* ; Public Opinion* ; Publishing* ; Research Report*; Humans
    • Abstract:
      In 'New Threats to Academic Freedom' Francesca Minerva argues that anonymity for the authors of controversial articles is a prerequisite for academic freedom in the Internet age. This argument draws its intellectual and emotional power from the author's account of the reaction to the on-line publication of ' After-birth abortion: why should the baby live?'--an article that provoked cascades of hostile postings and e-mails. Reflecting on these events, Minerva proposes that publishers should offer the authors of controversial articles the option of publishing their articles anonymously. This response reviews the history of anonymous publication and concludes that its reintroduction in the Internet era would recreate problems similar to those that led print journals to abandon the practice: corruption of scholarly discourse by invective and hate speech, masked conflicts of interest, and a diminution of editorial accountability. It also contends that Minerva misreads the intent of the hostile e-mails provoked by 'After-birth abortion,' and that ethicists who publish controversial articles should take responsibility by dialoguing with their critics--even those whose critiques are emotionally charged and hostile.
      (© 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)
    • Comments:
      Comment on: Bioethics. 2014 May;28(4):157-62. (PMID: 24602125)
      Comment in: Bioethics. 2014 May;28(4):178-80. (PMID: 24724543)
    • Contributed Indexing:
      Keywords: Internet; Nazi medicine; abortion; after-birth abortion; anonymous authorship; disability; eugenics; infanticide; publication ethics
    • Publication Date:
      Date Created: 20140415 Date Completed: 20141124 Latest Revision: 20181202
    • Publication Date:
      20240628
    • Accession Number:
      10.1111/bioe.12093
    • Accession Number:
      24724540